Germany still lacks a nationwide and standardised survey of soil organisms, although a comprehensive infrastructure for such a survey is available with approx. 800 permanent soil monitoring sites (Bodendauerbeobachtungsflächen, BDF). At present, not all federal states perform biodiversity surveys on their permanent soil monitoring sites. This is most likely due to the fact that the […]
The environmental risk of pesticides for nontarget soil macroorganisms has mainly been assessed using the compost earthworm Eisenia fetida. However, E. fetida does not occur in agroecosystems and it is generally less sensitive than other earthworm species. Thus, the extrapolation of its response to pesticides to other earthworm species may lead to uncertainties in the […]
Data collected by ECT in the frame of various research projects in the last decades contributed to a publication on the global abundance and diversity of earthworms. Earthworms are an important soil taxon as ecosystem engineers, providing a variety of crucial ecosystem functions and services. Little is known about their diversity and distribution at large […]
A project funded by the German Environment Agency was performed to provide scientifically robust and practical information on the variability of the endpoints assessed in earthworm field studies, the statistical significance of the results and the level of the statistically detectable effects of the chemicals tested with the aim of developing suggestions for improving the […]
Research on potential side-effects of pesticides on beneficial organisms has focused on temperate test species and conditions. Thus, there is a need for ecotoxicity studies for pesticides under tropical conditions. The present study aimed to compare the acute and chronic toxicity of the fungicide carbendazim to the earthworm Eisenia fetida under tropical and temperate conditions. […]
The activity of microorganisms in soil is important for a robust functioning of soil and related ecosystem services. There is a necessity to identify the composition, diversity, and function of the soil microbiome to evaluate its properties and functioning and to assess ecotoxicological effects due to anthropogenic activities. Although numerous microbiological methods exist or are […]
The ecotoxicological characterisation of waste according to the European Waste List (HP14) is part of its hazard classification, which is based on 15 different hazardous properties and should include toxicity tests representing the aquatic and terrestrial compartment. Besides established soil toxicity tests with bacteria, plants, and earthworms, the standardised test with the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans […]
The currently applied environmental risk assessment procedure for pesticides in the European Union (EU) is highly standardised. To assess effects on soil organisms at the lowest tier, just one test substrate is used, OECD artificial soil, a mixture of sand, kaolinite clay and Sphagnum peat. Moistened and adjusted to neutral pH, this substrate is used […]
The ‘1st International Earthworm Congress’ (IEC 1) takes place in Shanghai (China) from 24 to 29 June 2018. Jörg Römbke is member of the scientific committee of this conference. In addition, ECT contributes with the following two presentations: […]
Soil is an essential component of terrestrial ecosystems and fulfils many important functions being the natural basis of life, habitat, an integral part of water and nutrient cycling, and having a filter function for the protection of groundwater. Earthworms contribute very effectively to the breakdown of organic matter in soil
K. Duis
D. Leib
D. Leib
ECT Oekotoxikologie GmbH
D. Leib
K. Duis
S. Höss
D. Leib